Brief History:
The Klein and Jones Families are linked through the marriage of Ellene Klein to Thomas Jones in 1949. Thomas is the son of Pha Jones.
Ellene's father's family (Carl Klein) is German Hungarian and immigrated to the United States early in the 20th Century. The Klein family came from Zombolya (Hatzfeld) area of the Austrian/Hungarian Empire. This region will later become part of Romania and will be renamed Jimbolia.
Her mother's side of the family are German colonists from Lwowek (Leonberg) Poland in the west central part of the country. Ellene's mother, Frieida Genzler, was born in the town of Lwowek along with three sisters. Her grandfather (William Gensler) immigrated to the United States early in the 1900's settling in the Georgetown section of Seattle Washington, a German community, leaving his wife and children in then Russia. In 1923 after World War I, Grandmother Friedericka Gensler (Bousanous) will leave what is now Poland and bring her sole surviving daughter (Frieda) to the United States and will rejoin her husband in Seattle Washington. Lwowek is located in the Gmina Sanniki district within Gostynin County. This region was part of Russia prior to World War I and became part of independent Poland at the war's end. It is about 85 km west of Warwaw. Lwowek (Leonberg) also was home to large German Moravian community which Friedericka's family may have been from.
The Genzler/Bousanous families are "brick walls" in our family search. We have found no connections at all on the Genzler side. A map of Lwowek Poland in 1928 shows a home designated as the Genzler family. Also papers appear to show multiple spellings such as Gensler and Gensle. Wilhelm's mother's maiden name is recorded as Karoline Huebner and we have no information on her linage either. Friedericka Bousanous had two sisters, Juljanna who married a Schorok, and Marie, who married a Bluemle. The Klein family received letters from East Germany during the 1960s from one of these families but unfortunately these letters have been lost. Frieda Genzler also went to Canada to visit relatives some time in the 1940s or 50s. We think these were related to her mother’s family. There are Canadian census records of that show immigrants to Edmonton from Russia/Poland with the last name Bousanous. Spellings of this name also may include Bousanious and Busenius. We have no information on Frieda’s Grandmother whose name is recorded as Whilhemina Polato.
Additional Klein/Genzler Family Resourses:
Additional Klein/Gensler Pictures
Genzler/Bousanious Family Photo Album (Courtesy of Bob Thornquiest grandson)
Klein Family Photo Album (Courtesy of Bob Thornquiest grandson)
Upstream Vistula - German Colonists
(L-R) Emma, Friedericka (Bousanious), Martha and Frieda Gensler (Lowek, Poland)
William and Fredericka (Bousanious) Gensler
Peter Klein Family - Standing: Barbara, Carl, Nick, Matt and Anne. Seated: Peter and Theresia Klein
Klein-Genzler Family Page